Sausage forming machine



Feb. 20, 1951 F. A. HEDWALL 2,542,673

SAUSAGE FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 /31 i 35 I I INVENTORQ E fiJiedwaZZ TTYS Feb. 20, 1951 F. A. HEDWALL ,54 ,57

SAUSAGE FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet s 1 i J5 Y 1; T, a? n & W 1, 1 1 I 7 I2 I 27 INVENTOR.

24 .EflJ-[edwall Mmi/ HTTYS Feb. 20, 1951 F. A. 'HEDWALL 2,542,673

SAUSAGE FORMING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1947 4 Sheets-:Sheet 4 29 15 16 [11/ E ,0 fiii 'fi w INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAUSAGE FORMING MACHINE Fredrick A. Hedwall, Sacramento, Calif.

Application October 13, 1947, Serial No. 779,617

2 Claims.

This invention is directed to, and it is an object to provide, a novel machine for manufacturing skinless-type wieners or sausages as a continuous process.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine, as above, which includes mechanism to form ground sausage meat into an initially continuous cord of circular cross section, and to then out such cord into sausage lengths; the mechanism working mainly within an oven so that cooking of the product is simultaneously accomplished.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a sausage forming machine, to accomplish the results described in the preceding paragraph, which includes a pair of endless chains with closely adjacent runs driven in the same direction, and the corresponding links of the chains carrying mold blocks which engage in cooperating relation, when in said runs, to form a continuous traveling mold; there being pressure means to feed the sausage mix into such continuous mold adjacent one end and to cut the resultant cord into sausage lengths adjacent the opposite end.

An additional object is to provide cooperating mold blocks of novel design arranged, when engaged, to prevent improper molding or leakage of the initially ground sausage meat.

It is also an object to provide a novel pressure means for feeding the ground sausage meat to such continuous traveling mold.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical and efficient sausage forming machine, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the sausage forming machine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same. f

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the machine on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section on line 5--5 of Fig.2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the forward end of the chain assembly which provides the continuous traveling mold, including' an illu t t on of the sausage meat feeding m ans or stuffer.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary erspective view illustrating the mold blocks and the manner of their mounting on the chains and guided support in the corresponding channels.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the rotary cutting unit.

Referring now more particularly to the char acters of reference on the drawings, the sausage forming machine comprises a hori"ont-l, elongated housing I, which-in the mainis in the form of an oven; said housing including a top 2 and a bottom 3 connected by sidewalls 4. On one side the walls 4 are in the form of access doors 5.

Within the longitudinal oven I there are heating units, preferably electrically actuated, se-

' cured to the inside surface of the top 2 and bottom 3; such heating units being indicatedgenerally at 6. These units 6 are energized through the medium of a control circuit (not shown).

Within the housing I there is an upstanding, elon ated skeleton frame. indicated generally at 1. which terminates at the top some distance be- I low the top 2 of said housing I.

A pair of endless chains 8 are journaled in the housing I at the top of the skeleton frame I and extend lengthwise and horizontally through the housing I, and being exposed at one end thereof, as shown. The endless chains 8 are 9 and II) are fixed on vertical spindles II, as,

shown in Fig. 5. and at one end of the chain assembly said spindles are actuated by a driven. This gear assembly may be,

gear assembly l2. driven from any suitable power source, preferablv an electr c motor. The chains are driven sothat the adjacent runs thereof travel in the same direction, moving between the, lead and discharge ends of the chain assembly, 1. e. moving from right to left in Fig. 3.

The sprockets 9 are s aced apart, transversely of the machine, a somewhat greater distance than the sprockets l0, whereby the adjacent runs of the chains initially move in converging relation but soon assume a parallel relationship by reason of their passa e over idler sprockets l3, havin substantiallv the same trans erse spacing as the sprockets l0. Thus. the adjacent runs of the chains 8 travel in substantial para lelism between ;the sprockets l3 and the sprockets I0.

stantially semi-circular molds H; and adjacent.

molds, when the blocks are travelingwith thaade jacent runs, not onl abut each other at the ends but cooperatively engage at the; longitudinal: edges with corresponding molds .of..the.b1ocls on the opposite run. Thus, as the chains move be' tween the sprockets l3 and [0, the moldsJT-iformx a continuous traveling'rnold whose bore is of circular-:- cross.- section and-of. a diameterequal. that-of the. sausage-toice-formed.-

In order to-"assure that suchv continuous-travelingmoldds sealed against leakage. between .the mold blocks 14, the molds II have tapered com-. plementary longitudinal. edges. .5 s. which lap each other-when corresponding block .l ilof the runs are in engagement- Also, th molds. H are arranged so that they project. axially 'as skirts l9, beyond one. end of. the corresponding mold. for. complementary engagement ina semi-circular recess N in the adjacent end of the next mold block 14.

It. .willbe seen that with. the above. arrangement, .Whenthe. mold-blocks Hi and. molds I? of. the respective runs. come into engagement for travel along said runs, thev continuous traveling. moldisi. interlocked effectively against. leakage. A stufier. tubeor-noZZle 25 extends lengthwise. centrallylbetween the converging lea'df end por tio'nsrof the. chainsB and terminates between the sprockets l3 at substantially the. inception of the continuous traveling mold;. theidischarge end ofsaidtube beingindio'ated at'2 2';

At' its outerendand free of thechain assem- 015 the stuifer: tube or. nozzle2l is connected-to a, pressure feed unit .23, of any suitable type, adapted to'ieed previously ground sausage meatthrough thestuffer. tube 2| under pressure. With the; chains 8 moving in the described direction, and with sausage meat hid under pressure from the stuifer tube 2!. out of its dischargeyend 22, suchzmeat is deposited in. th continuousv travelingnmold comprised of the cooperating molds 1' carried by'the mold blocks is. The volume of discharge from tube 2! is regulated according to the speedofthe chain assembly, to th end that a continuous core or cord of sausagemeat isformed byithe" molds I1 and conveyeda'l'ong by'the chain assembly.

Atv the discharge end of the chain 'assembly thecontinuous core or cord of formed sausage meatywhichat this point. has been partially cooked by reason of 'itspassagein the" oven form'- ing housing" i, is cut- -automatic'ally-into sausage lengths by the following mechanisrn':

Beyond the discharge end of the-chain assembly, but in the same horizontal plane, there are a pair of rotary cutters 2 disposed adjacent to, but on opposite sides of, the longitudinal axis of the continuous traveling mold; such cutters being carried on vertical spindles 25'driven by" endless drives 28 frornthe adjacent ones=of the spindles I l' of the chain assembly.

The rotary cutters 25' are fitted, at matching; circumferentially spaced points, with outwardly" projecting blades 21; corresponding blades recurringly coming substantially into cutting engagement as the cutters 24 rotate. Thus, as the continuous cord of formed and set sausage meat, as indicated at 28, passes from the discharge end of the chain assembly, it is engaged between the rotary cutters 24 and cut into predetermined sausage lengths by the blades 27.

In? order. to properly guide. the: runs of the chainsfl, both vertically and horizontally, particularly the adjacent runs which carr the elements which form the continuous traveling mold, said .runs aresupported in rigid guide channels 29;'the guide channels corresponding to the adjacent runs of the chains facing laterally toward each other, and flaringa t the lead end portion of -th'ech'ain assemblyto accommodate the converging-chains.

The sausage lengths, as cut, fall downwardly from .the .rotarycuttersifl. onto. a baffle-30, which deflects. them cnt'octhe. upper run or an endless conveyor. 3 I". which extendslengthwise.andnhorizontally in the housing-formedoven below the.

chain assembly; said upper. runtraveling inthe opposite direction to. saidchain assembly. At. its discharge, end the endless conveyor-.3! feeds. by ,a baffle 32" to the upper run o'f another. endless conveyor 33 belowth'e conveyor 3l,.butdriven in the. opposite direction; In this manner the sausage.

links are conveyed back and forth, i. e..in shuttle relation in the oven, until thoroughly ,cookedL.

The oven may. also serve. as a smoke box, From the. discharge end of the endless conveyor 33 the conke'dsa'usages' deliverito any suitable receivers.

asia't 341 The endless conveyors 3 land 33 includedrapers or belts'35"which run at. theedges in supporting.

guides'3'6', and which drapersiorbelts are driven byurumstl'onvcross shafts 38, such shaftsbeing. journaled'inthe skeleton frame 7, anddriven in.

any suitable mannerfrom a power'unit'39."

brushunit's' fill-driven by endless drives i'l from the 'ad-jacent' spindles ll; these brush units being preferably" shaped to work in matching;relation to the molds H;-

The lead end portions of the chain assembly arecarried outside of the oven forming housing I in order to permit'of' a certain cooling of the chains and the above described cleaning and oiling of the molds by the rotary brushes 4'0".-

Pramthe-above description it will be recognizedthatthe invention provides a very practical and 'efii'cient machine for the manufacture; asa continuous operation, of skinless type wieners or sausages; the machine functioning smoothly,yet havin substantial capacity.

From the foregoin description it-will' be readilyseenthat therehas been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects'of the invention'asset forth-herein;

While this specificationsets forth in detail. the present-and preferred construction ofthe device, still in practice such deviations frorn'su'ch detail may be resorted to as; do not: form Ia: departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A sausage forming machine comprising -a framerapair of endless flexiblemembers supported on said frame and having runs facing each other and moving in the same direction, semicircular outwardly opening mold sections on the outer facesof said flexible members, the said members at the lead end of said runs being spaced apart a distance to hold the mold sections on the respective runs separated, said members then converging toward each other to a point at which the mold sections meet in complementary relation, means then maintaining said runs parallel for a predetermined distance whereby to form a longitudinally continuous mold for said predetermined distance, a source of material supply, and a tube leading from said source of supply and extending midway between the converging portion of said members and projecting a short way into said continuous mold.

2. A machine as in claim 1 in which the mold sections are so formed as to have relatively overlapping ends and edges when they meet in complementary relationship. 

